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The chairmen of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees have reached a tentative agreement on a plan to improve veterans' healthcare after they lashed out at each other over their competing bills late last week.

Rep. Jeff Miller, a Florida Republican, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, said Sunday they'll have a news conference Monday to talk about a compromise plan to fix a veterans' health program scandalized by long patient wait times and falsified records covering up delays.

Jeff Miller took over what my friend Bobby Schilling R IL 17 started in a couple years ago before he lost reelection. The bill that passed in the House included letting Vets see private doctors in the areas that the VA was backed up. Bobby is on the ballot once again this fall, and I really hope that district can turn red again. It was blue for over 30 years....and the liberal machine put big money behind the Congresswoman that beat him in 2012. This is an important district as it includes the Rock Island Army Arsenal.

I'm skeptical that Congress could solve anything. And if I'm wrong in the case of this bill - trust me, I'd love to be wrong about this - Obama and the Ds are so heavily invested in the Republicans-Are-Obstructionists campaign narrative that I can't see this bill moving forward until after the election, if ever. I'd love to be wrong in that, too, if this bill improves things, but I've found that when I have low expectations, most surprises are pleasant ones.

SVPete

Envy is Greed's bigger, more evil, twin.

Those who can, do.
Those who know, teach.
Ignorant incapables, regulate.

I'm skeptical that Congress could solve anything. And if I'm wrong in the case of this bill - trust me, I'd love to be wrong about this - Obama and the Ds are so heavily invested in the Republicans-Are-Obstructionists campaign narrative that I can't see this bill moving forward until after the election, if ever. I'd love to be wrong in that, too, if this bill improves things, but I've found that when I have low expectations, most surprises are pleasant ones.

i
I think the Dems will end up with a program that will just continue to throw money at a broken wheel.

A house bill already passed on using vouchers for private care but it's my understanding that the Senate never heard the bill, Even the dems voted yes in the House. Of course the press never covers those things.........

Our nation has a shortage of doctors, if they get money to hire more doctors, where in the hell do they plan on finding them? No one even wants to go to medical school right now.

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Tuesday allowing veterans to seek private health care to avoid the backlogs at Veterans Affairs facilities.

"The news about VA's delays in care crisis just keeps getting worse," said Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who introduced the bill. "It's unfortunate I have to introduce legislation to address this problem, because the department has had the authority to offer veterans health care services outside of the VA system for years."